How To Avoid Property Scams
Having recently noticed that some of our flat marketing particulars had been lifted from our site to be used in scams on Gumtree, we wanted to make potential tenants aware of the dangers and how to avoid them.
In this guide, we'll shed light on the common tactics used by property fraudsters and give you the knowledge you need to protect yourself from falling victim to rental scams. By understanding the red flags and taking necessary precautions, you can confidently navigate the Edinburgh rental market and find your new home safely.
How Scammers Operate
Scammers tend to uplift photographs and descriptions from the official property portals or a letting agent’s own website. They then access the public Landlord Registration database to obtain the name of the owner for the property.
On Landlord Registration Scotland, when you input the property address you can see the landlord’s name and then usually the agent’s name and address. Using that information they create a user profile in the name of the actual landlord and then post their advert on Gumtree, Facebook marketplace or other ‘free-listing’ websites.
If a tenant responds to one of these adverts, the scammer will usually insist on a deposit being paid to secure a viewing or secure the property without a viewing. Once the funds have been transferred, the applicant will never hear from the poster again. The advertiser’s account will usually close very quickly, once they have successfully obtained a number of deposits.
Students are often targeted because of their inexperience and because the shortage of student accommodation in Edinburgh adds urgency to their property search.
How To Spot A Property Scam
Watch out for poor grammar. If the wording doesn’t sound quite right, alarm bells should ring.
Most sites display how long the lister has been active on their site. Beware of any account that is new or recent.
Scammers will often claim that only a room or a couple of rooms in a larger property are available for let, while most letting agents let a whole property.
Scammers might pressure you to send a deposit urgently to secure a property even before a viewing takes place.
The advertised rent may look lower than other rents you have seen. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
How To Avoid Rental Scams
To be as safe and secure as possible, consumers should use a registered and regulated property letting agency. Agents should display their Letting Agent Registration Number (LARN) on any property listing, along with their landlord’s registration number.
A landlord letting with a regulated agency will not be listing their property on a free-listing website. Their letting agency will take care of all the advertising.
A quick check of the Landlord Registration Scotland website should determine if a landlord has a registered agent. If the property does not appear on the landlord register then the property should not be let. Occasionally there are some issues with the council’s website, but a quick call to the landlord registration team can usually help clear up any anomalies.
For properties in Edinburgh, some safe portals to visit when looking for a rental property would be Rightmove, Citylets, On The Market or a registered agent’s own website. Again, the validity of an agent should be easy to verify with public registers including Landlord Registration Scotland or Companies House.
A registered agent will usually wait until you complete a viewing (virtual or in person) and start some form of application before asking you to pay a deposit. They should confirm that the deposit is fully refundable until your lease commences, at which point it will form part of the full tenancy deposit, and be lodged with an appropriate deposit scheme provider.
Rest assured that we reported the scams that we spotted on Gumtree, and the adverts have been removed. However, these scams are prevalent and we would urge you to be cautious when looking for a property to rent in Edinburgh.
Scam Prevention Checklist
- Use an official property portal rather than a free marketplace to find a rental property
- Always work with a registered letting agency
- Check the landlord and agency details on Landlord Registration Scotland
- Don’t pay a deposit without a viewing and paperwork
- Speak to our team if you need help